WASHINGTON, DC — As the nation looks ahead to the 2026 midterm elections, Children’s Defense Fund Action (CDF Action)—the grassroots lobbying and advocacy arm of the national advocacy organization Children’s Defense Fund—has officially launched a major nonpartisan initiative. Titled the "Voting Rights are Children’s Rights" campaign, the effort is designed to remind the American electorate of a fundamental reality: while children do not yet have the legal right to cast a ballot, every single law, policy, and budget that shapes their daily lives, health, education, and futures is written and enacted by adults who do.
The campaign aims to encourage the nation’s eligible adults to consciously consider the interests, well-being, and futures of all American children and young people when they enter the voting booth. By bridging the gap between civic participation and child advocacy, CDF Action seeks to transform how communities approach elections, urging voters to view the ballot box not just as a tool for adult concerns, but as the primary vehicle for protecting the next generation.
Ahead of the midterm elections, the newly unveiled initiative is actively equipping parents, caregivers, faith leaders, congregations, and young voters with a comprehensive suite of resources. These materials are designed to help eligible adults educate themselves, prioritize child-focused policies, and intentionally include children in the democratic process. Among the provided resources are voter action guides, clear registration instructions, and practical, engaging strategies for involving children in family voting plans as well as discussing political choices and outcomes afterward.
As part of the nationwide rollout, CDF Action is also calling on CDF Freedom Schools® partner sites to organize "Read Aloud for Democracy" experiences at or near early voting centers across the country. Scheduled for October 17, these community-focused events will bring parents and children together to read literature before heading directly into nearby early voting centers. In states where early voting has already commenced, the initiative offers families a hands-on opportunity to participate in democracy side-by-side.
The philosophy underpinning the campaign was recently highlighted by CDF Action President and CEO Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson during an address to the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. Dr. Wilson emphasized the critical importance of allowing children to witness the voting process firsthand, encouraging all eligible voters who have children in their lives to keep youth in mind at the polls and to bring them along to experience civic participation directly.
“We don’t believe we can wait until they’re 18 to suggest that they vote. We have to bring them up in a culture of civic engagement by modeling voting, by taking them with us,” Dr. Wilson stated during his address. He also pointed to the broader national context of election administration, noting the urgent need for robust election protection work. “We also understand the election protection work that must happen this year. There must be a moral confrontation at the polls that demonstrates the realities of the challenges of those who would seek to send others to the polls to keep us from there. That—they’re really keeping—the voices of our children from being heard.”
The urgency of the "Voting Rights are Children’s Rights" campaign is further heightened by recent legal and political battles surrounding ballot access. Brittany Packnett Cunningham, CDF Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, underscored the direct connection between democratic participation and child welfare, particularly in the wake of recent attacks on voting rights. She pointed specifically to the U.S. Supreme Court’s April decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which critics argue poses significant threats to fair representation and the voices of Black and Brown communities.
“We are clear at CDF Action that voting rights are children’s rights,” Packnett Cunningham said. “Every school that gets shuttered was a vote. Every lunch line that gets cut was a vote. Every hospital that closes in a rural county or an urban core, where a Black mother is trying to deliver a healthy baby, was a vote. You cannot say that you love children and stay silent while the vote is being strangled. These are the same fight.”
Beyond encouraging family participation at the polls, CDF Action is urging voters to focus heavily on broader systemic reforms, including the expansion of voting rights, the restructuring and reform of the nation’s court system, and holding governmental corruption accountable. Furthermore, the organization remains steadfastly committed to ensuring that young people are fully equipped to vote, volunteer, and lift their voices in public life. As part of this long-term vision, CDF Action advocates for lowering the federal voting age to 16 years old, a policy change intended to expand young people’s access to influence the institutional decision-making that directly impacts their lives and communities.
Founded in 1969 as the Washington Research Project Action Council, CDF Action continues to advance child well-being through direct grassroots lobbying, congressional and statehouse advocacy for child-centered policies, and holding elected officials publicly accountable. Through tools like its signature, nonpartisan Legislative Report Card, the organization informs the American public about the legislative activities of members of Congress across a wide array of issues impacting children. Governed by a dedicated Policy Council and registered as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization in the District of Columbia, CDF Action hopes this latest campaign will permanently alter how the American electorate connects the act of voting with the future of the nation’s youth.
